1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lubricating mechanism for a ball spline device, and more particularly to a ball spline device including a lubricating mechanism for suitably and uniformly applying or sending or filling or supplying the lubricant or lubricating oil or fluid to various portions or positions or locations, particularly the endless ball guiding passage or the moving pathway of the ball bearing members and for suitably lubricating the ball bearing members of the ball spline device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various kinds of typical linear motion guide devices or ball spline devices have been developed and comprise a slider or follower or slide block or sliding member slidably attached or engaged onto a guide rail or elongated rod or shaft and movable along the guide rail, one or more endless ball guiding passages or moving pathways formed in the ball spline device for slidably receiving ball bearing members, and for facilitating the sliding movement between the slider and the guide rail and for allowing the slider and the guide rail to be smoothly moved relative to each other, and one or more ball return pipes or ball deflecting devices attached onto the ball spline device for guiding the ball bearing members to smoothly and suitably move through the endless ball guiding passages or moving pathways of the ball spline device.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,523,682 to Liao et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,934,438 to Chen et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 8,051,736 to Chen et al. disclose several of the typical ball screw return systems each comprising a slider or nut slidably attached onto a screw, a ball bearing members or a number of ball bearing members disposed and engaged between the slider and the screw and engaged in the endless ball guiding raceway for facilitating the sliding movement between the slider and the screw and for allowing the slider and the screw to be smoothly moved relative to each other.
Normally, the slider and the screw and/or the ball bearing members or members are moved in a fast speed relative to each other, and a lubricating device is required to be provided or disposed or engaged in the slider and/or the screw for filling or supplying the lubricant or lubricating oil or fluid into the endless ball guiding raceway and the slider and for suitably lubricating the ball bearing members or the like.
However, the lubricant or lubricating oil or fluid is normally required to be filled or supplied into the endless ball guiding raceway with a greater or higher pressure, and the lubricant or lubricating oil or fluid may have a good chance to flow out through the gaps formed between the parts or elements of the ball screw devices. In addition, the lubricant or lubricating oil or fluid may not be suitably and uniformly sent or applied or supplied to various portions or positions or locations of the ball screw devices.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional lubricating mechanisms or devices for the ball screw devices.